We help foster connections between people, places and opportunities through a multimodal accessibility lens.

The success and sustainability of cities depend on optimizing connections. Historically, transportation planners measured and planned for connectivity through a mobility lens – speed of travel – assuming that better speeds improved connectivity. They do, to an extent, but there are additional strategies at our disposal, such as compact, mixed use development patterns and travel choices that improve proximity and reduce our reliance on the need for speed. Multimodal accessibility, or the number of opportunities one can reach in a reasonable amount of time by differing travel modes, provides an improved lens for simultaneously evaluating how well mobility and proximity strategies improve connectivity.

The historical focus on auto-oriented mobility design and science has resulted in sprawling development patterns, and many of our clients are seeking better multimodal balance – not to eliminate cars but to improve viable community and travel choices. Our approach relies on integrated multimodal design, including context based design guidelines adopted by the Virginia and Florida Departments of Transportation. It also relies on science, which underlies a suite of multimodal accessibility tools, such as those developed for the Maryland Department of Transportation and MetroPlan Orlando, that identify and evaluate a broad set of strategies in various settings, ranging from future land use and regional transportation plans, to development regulations and site plan reviews.